On the Road Again

Ranch mixed with Czar's Pinot & Pepper Sauce, chopped romaine lettuce, toasted almonds (1.5 minutes on a baking sheet under the broiler), crumbled goat cheese, blackberries (from my mom's driveway), and mesquite steak strips. Yum. Yum. Yum.

Friends, it has been awhile since we really talked. Long enough for me to forget what I told you lately that wasn't mostly comprised of narrative pictures and captions.

Let's recap the last few years of my life, shall we? Just for fun.

- Began losing weight in January of 2010
- Started a 10 month MAT program in June of 2010
- Met Kevin January 2011
- Finished my program in April 2011
- Got engaged July 2011
- Started a new full-time job (40 minutes from Kevin and from home) September 2011
- Married November 2011, moved in with Kevin and out of my parent's home
- Helped my husband through back surgery and recovery December 2011 through March 2012
- Started trying to lose my gained-back 30 pounds in January 2012
- Joined a weight loss competition in May 2012, ended last week, I didn't even do a final weigh-in
- Finished my job and moved three hours away with Kevin end of May 2012
- June and July were spent preparing Kevin for the bar and starting my new job
- August has thus far been spent working, Kevin working, and wondering how 8 months have passed without any pounds lost... and most likely a gain.

So, not to be a complete whiner, but there has been a lot packed into a short time. There's plenty more I could add to the list, but the basics give you the idea. No one died, no tragedies happened, but it has been a very full, sometimes difficult time nonetheless.

The motivation to get to the gym and really stick to healthy eating is missing in action.

But, I can't wear the clothes I wore last summer. That is depressing.

I was looking at pictures from one of my bridal showers last night and just loved the way I looked then. I want to get back there! Even if I didn't go much further, that would be a great place to be!

Kevin is so supportive and would do anything to help me, but it still has to be me who sweats and puts healthy food in my mouth - and says no to the crap. 

I feel a bit like a lost cause. I'm not drowning in despair, I'm just feeling sluggish and unmotivated. Ya know?

So this is today. Yesterday is gone, never to return. If God can look at me, love me, and believe that I am beautiful and worth fighting for, then I should believe it too. 

I'm not making any proclamations, I'm just telling you about today. 

Tomorrow will come, I'll let you know how it goes.


So tell me: How do you get motivated in times like these?

We Women

Some of My Best Girls.

This past weekend, I spent time at one of my favorite places, Twin Rocks Friends Camp, for a women's retreat.

This is the second women's retreat that I've been to. Both times, I have been the youngest by far. No matter, though; I'm always excited and interested to learn from the Warrior Women who have gone through the battles before me.

The theme this year was the God-Centered Home, or God's Homemaking. There were many wonderful ideas about creating a godly environment in our homes. Many women shared their varied backgrounds - multiple marriages, traditional home and family, dysfunctional family upbringing, nontraditional family configurations. All in all, it was a great time for learning and sharing for the group of women who attended, me included.

However, what I took away, first and foremost, is this: We women need each other.

Have you heard about The Mommy Wars? I hadn't. Not until I read a blog post over at Five Kids Is A Lot Of Kids. Beth has a magical way of bringing humor and truth and vulnerability to her writing. Read her post on Mommy Wars here.

I was quite surprised to learn that this was really a blown-up version of an issue I have been dealing with on a much smaller scale. I wrote about defining femininity here, trying to unravel the mess of opinions in order to say that each woman, each person, needs to do what is right/best for them. In short, that is what Beth said as well.

We women need each other.

We DON'T need women (and I'm speaking to women here) who judge our decisions, compete with our lifestyles, or gossip about our loved ones.

We DON'T need any help feeling guilty or badly about ourselves. Pretty sure we got that one in the bag all by our lonesomes.

It is hard enough to get through each day with a smile on our face. I'll speak from my perspective: It is difficult enough for me to accomplish all the necessary tasks, make the obligatory decisions, spend time with my husband, find time for myself, get enough sleep, eat well, exercise, and make time for people who don't live in our home without added stress and negativity.

I strive to surround myself with women who have similar values and goals. No, we do not all have the same lifestyles. We are so different! Those differences give us greater opportunity for learning, growing, sharing, and a whole lot of laughter. My community is SO important to me.

These Mommy Wars? Really? Let's just take a stand here - decide what is best for our families, and let everyone else do the same.

Can we trust the women in our lives to be doing the best that they can just to get by?

Can we let our judgments and opinions go long enough to simply be supportive, loving, and encouraging?

I need this! Don't you?

We women need each other.

I witnessed the power of camaraderie and fellowship this weekend. Women holding each other up. Figuratively and literally.

Younger women helping older women carry luggage and get up the stairs.

Older women helping younger women make sense of trials and struggles in their lives.

Women doing crafts together.

Women taking walks together.

Women playing Bocce Ball together.

Women eating together.

Women crying together.

Women praying together.

Women laughing together!

I realize that not all women are as socially stimulated by other women as much as I am. But I still believe that there is something special about female friendship. And I am really starting to believe that being choosy about which women get our valuable time is more important than I had thought.

We women need each other.

Married. Single. Divorced. Young. Old. Fat. Thin.

Doesn't matter.

We women need each other.

So tell me: How do you find/make time for friends in your life? What is your favorite way to spend quality time with these friends?